Unisex name ★ peaked 1979

Jovan

Gender Unisex · 10% girls Rank 2025 #1,746 Trend ↓ Falling 14%

A transliteration of the Macedonian male given name Јован (Jovan), equivalent to John

Rank 2025
#1,746
among boys · ↓1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
93
named Jovan · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 18,366
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1979
329 babies
All-time total
11,063
#1,207 all-time among boys
First recorded
1966
in Social Security records

Jovan popularity over time

11,063 babies have been named Jovan since 1966, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – 6 6 1 – #3,716
1970s 260 831 1,091 109 +18083% #554
1980s 639 2,159 2,798 280 +156% #568
1990s 169 2,452 2,621 262 -6% #622
2000s 11 2,378 2,389 239 -9% #671
2010s – 1,520 1,520 152 -36% #1,022
2020s (to 2025) – 638 638 106 -30% #1,404

Where Jovan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 92 0.05 outside top 500
2027 90 0.05 outside top 500
2028 89 0.05 outside top 500
2029 88 0.05 outside top 500
2030 88 0.05 outside top 500

Where Jovan is most popular

Boys named Jovan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.060 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Arizona, and Illinois.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Jovan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 22 0.160 +169%
Arizona 25 0.153 +157%
Illinois 29 0.113 +91%
California 76 0.083 +40%
Texas 63 0.072 +20%
New York 27 0.062 +5%
Michigan 12 0.059 ≈ national
Florida 24 0.051 -15%
Pennsylvania 10 0.038 -37%
New Jersey 7 0.035 -42%
Ohio 5 0.019 -68%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Jovan

Jovan is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,746 in 2025 with 93 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1966, 11,063 American babies have been named Jovan, about 90% boys and 10% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1979, when 329 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jovan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jovan?

The median living Jovan is about 29 years old; half are between 18 and 39. An estimated 11 thousand people named Jovan are alive in the United States today.

median 29 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jovan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 93 #1,746
2024 – – 95 #1,745
2023 – – 94 #1,752
2022 – – 115 #1,554
2021 – – 117 #1,518
2020 – – 124 #1,404
2019 – – 111 #1,526
2018 – – 101 #1,619
2017 – – 137 #1,318
2016 – – 141 #1,293
2015 – – 162 #1,157
2014 – – 170 #1,129
2013 – – 173 #1,080
2012 – – 161 #1,138
2011 – – 174 #1,075
2010 – – 190 #1,022
2009 – – 225 #922
2008 – – 237 #887
2007 – – 239 #868
2006 – – 239 #844
2005 – – 209 #875
2004 – – 247 #751
2003 6 #14,710 230 #767
2002 – – 222 #779
2001 5 #16,535 270 #671
2000 – – 260 #683
1995 20 #4,924 231 #697
1990 34 #3,250 265 #622
1985 72 #1,639 199 #621
1980 75 #1,559 218 #581
1975 19 #3,558 50 #1,199
1970 – – 8 #3,668
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Jovan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jovan Vladimir Jovan Vladimir Prince of Duklja from c. 1000 to 1016 (c.990–1016) Medieval
  2. 2 Jovan Dučić Jovan Dučić Herzegovinian Serb poet-diplomat (1872–1943) 1871–1943 · 19th century
  3. 3 Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Serbian poet and physician (1833–1904) 19th century
  4. 4 Jovan Cvijić Jovan Cvijić Serbian scientist and academic (1865–1927) 19th century
  5. 5 Jovan Aćimović Serbian footballer b. 1948 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Jovan Ristić Jovan Ristić Serbian politician, diplomat and historian (1831–1899) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jovan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jovan?

The median living Jovan is about 29 years old. Half of all living Jovans are between 18 and 39 years old.

How many people named Jovan are alive today?

An estimated 11 thousand people named Jovan are alive in the United States, based on 11,063 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jovan mean?

A transliteration of the Macedonian male given name Јован (Jovan), equivalent to John

How popular is the name Jovan in 2025?

Jovan ranked #1,746 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 93 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jovan?

11,063 babies have been named Jovan in the United States since 1966, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jovan most popular?

Jovan peaked in 1979, when 329 newborns received the name.

Is Jovan a boy or girl name?

Jovan is used for both: about 10% of babies named Jovan have been girls and 90% boys.

Is the name Jovan rising or falling?

Jovan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jovan become more popular?

Jovan looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 88 boys named Jovan in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jovan?

Well-known people named Jovan include Jovan Vladimir (politician), Jovan Dučić (writer), Jovan Jovanović Zmaj (writer).

Names like Jovan

Names that sound and feel close to Jovan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jovan with similar names → More names starting with J →